I entered school at the age of 6, and I can read eight-part essay and recite the Five Classics at the age of 8. At the age of 65,438+04, he was able to read selected works of Zhou Li and history, and took the boy exam in Changsha. His excellent grades are listed as excellent, which shows that he has been gifted, intelligent and diligent since he was a child. In the 12th year of Daoguang (1832), he was admitted as a scholar and married Ouyang Cangming's daughter. After failing the exam twice in a row, he studied hard for a year. The actual age is 27 years old, and the nominal age is 28 years old. Gong was admitted to the same Jinshi. From then on, he embarked on the road of official career step by step, and became the favorite pupil of Minister Zhang Mu. In Beijing for more than ten years, he successively served as imperial academy Jishi Shu, moved to school, gave a bachelor's degree in lectures, served in Wen Yuan Pavilion, held a bachelor's degree in cabinet, inspected Chinese book affairs, served as assistant minister of Ministry of War, assistant minister of Ministry of Industry, assistant minister of punishments and assistant minister of official department. Zeng Guofan was promoted to the second-class position step by step along this career path. Moving seven times in ten years, jumping ten times in a row, jumping from seven products to two products,
In the second year of Xianfeng (1852), Zeng Guofan was lost at home because of his mother. At this time, the Taiping Rebellion has swept half of China. Although the Qing government mobilized a large number of Eight Banners green camp officers and men from all over the country to deal with the Taiping Army, this decadent armed force was vulnerable. Therefore, the Qing government issued many orders to reward the Yong Tuan, trying to use the landlord armed forces in various places to curb the development of revolutionary forces, which provided an opportunity for the emergence of Zeng Guofan's Xiang Army. Xianfeng three years (1853), he used the opportunity given by the Qing government to seek strength to suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. In his hometown of Hunan, he established a local group training called Xiang Army by relying on complicated interpersonal relationships such as mentoring, relatives and friends. 1in February, 854, the Xiang army rushed out and Zeng Guofan published "Seeking the Guangdong Bandits". In this essay, he criticized the peasant war of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom as "poisoning all living beings" and "introducing China's ethical code for thousands of years and sweeping it away". This is not only a strange change in the Qing dynasty, but also a strange change in famous religions since the opening of the port. Confucius and Mencius wept bitterly in Jiuyuan, and then called on "anyone who can read and write can sit still". He stood at the commanding height of morality, so he mobilized the broad masses of intellectuals at that time to participate in the struggle against the Taiping Army, laying a solid foundation for future victory. Zeng Guofan brutally suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom uprising and used harsh laws. History says that "one person is sent to be known, and another person is sent to judge robbers." If the solution is serious, it will be decided. If it is light, it will be killed. If it is light, it will be blamed. ..... The case will be tried immediately and the law will be implemented immediately. There is no expectation of delay. " Not only did he kill people directly, but his father and four brothers also killed people. Some people accused him of killing too many people and called him "once bald" and "once butcher". It is said that children in Nanjing cry at night, and when their mother says "I shaved my head", the children stop crying. In the battle with the Taiping Army, Zeng Guofan used methods such as looting property and conferring officials to boost morale, which formed the nature of the Xiang Army warrior's disability. Xiang Army became one of the main forces in the Qing army with backward military quality to fight against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the south of China. Zeng Guofan was named the first-class brave marquis, becoming the first person to seal the marquis of Wu as a scholar in the Qing Dynasty. Later, he served as the governor of Liangjiang and Zhili, and his official residence was a product.
There are many works in his life, but Letters from Home is the most widely circulated and influential.